Beachside Glamour
As soon as the valet whisks your car away and you enter the open-air reception lounge of The W Retreat & Spa Bali, you get the feeling that you may have just slipped through the proverbial rabbit hole.
From the floor-to-ceiling hand-painted walls conceptualised by graffiti artist Alec Monopoly to the hundreds of glistening Beluga Vodka bottles that welcome you to the lively lobby bar, there’s nothing ordinary about a W experience and that certainly applies to the resort’s Sunday Brunch at Starfish Bloo. Located on the ground level next to the pool, your first impression of Starfish Bloo’s Sunday Brunch includes a complimentary glass of sparkling wine presented amongst a theatrical display of bubbles, dry ice and colourful slices of floating fruit.
Uninterrupted views of the Indian Ocean, the meandering lagoon-style swimming pool, beach umbrellas and bronzed bodies create a sultry backdrop to one of the most stylish dining venues on the island. From intimate two-tops and long wooden tables that welcome large groups to fanciful rattan cocoon pods that scream VVIP, Starfish Bloo’s interiors and exteriors are works of art. You have a selection of packages to choose from and we certainly recommend going all the way to include free-flow white, red and sparkling wines as well as three custom designed signature cocktails that change every week.
Starfish Bloo’s Assistant Beverage & Food Director Yudhi Hendarsyah is a master at concocting and presenting dramatic cocktail creations that live up to the restaurant’s stunning decor. On any given Sunday, Yudhi will treat you to five-star beachside cocktail culture with three unique libations. His refreshing sangria is prepared with fresh pomegranate and passion fruit juices while his BBQ Mary, served on a wooden chopping board in a vintage metal-rimmed jelly glass floating in a steaming jar of water and dry ice, utilises bacon-infused vodka. His tequila-based cocktails are infused with cacao and are topped with a creamy layer of beer foam.
Although the cocktails alone are worthy of a magnificent Sunday Brunch at Stafish Bloo, seventeen international live stations take you on an interactive culinary journey to China, Japan, Spain, France, Norway, Indonesia, and far, far beyond. Of course, you’ll find the most exquisite seafood imaginable, from imported oysters and homemade gravlax salmon, hand-cured with beetroot and sea salt for four hours, to Sumbawa lobster, sushi and sashimi, fresh crab and enormous prawns. But unlike most brunches where the seafood steals the show, at Starfish Bloo, it’s just the beginning.
To please the cultured and well-traveled visitors that the W Retreat & Spa Bali attracts, Starfish Bloo depends on Chef de Cuisine Kevin Chung. A Mauritius-born, Australian-bred chef, he takes his valuable experience from Longrain, Sydney’s iconic beacon of Thai dining, and his passion for European cooking techniques to transform every Sunday at Starfish Bloo into a first class ticket around the world. His succulent Peking Duck is sourced from the cool mountains of Bedugul, and is served in melt-in-your-mouth slices wrapped in whisper thin tortillas. The sautéed foie gras is handcrafted by Rougie, France’s premier producer for over 137 years, and is served in delicate mini-brioches, complemented with traditional toppings such as orange marmalade and fig compote. As we savour the view, each international delight and Yudhi’s innovative cocktails, we realise that it’s October, a month that is normally considered ‘low season’ in Bali. But at The W Retreat & Spa Bali, low season is obviously not on the menu as every single table is booked.
Sunday brunch at Starfish Bloo is available from 12.00 pm – 3.30 pm every Sunday and is priced at Rp. 425,000++ per adult, inclusive of free-flow soft drinks, juices and a glass of Prosecco as a welcome drink. The Food & Beverage Package is priced at Rp. 950,000 ++ including free-flow of Prosecco, wines, beers, selected cocktails, soft drinks and juices. The Food & Champagne Package is priced at Rp 1,525,000++ covering additional free-flow of Louis Roederer Brut Champagne. Children aged 3-11 years old will be charged 50% of each package.
(www.wretreatbali.com)
Our favourite feature:
Forget the button-down-collared-shirt stuffiness of your typical luxury brunch, at The W Retreat & Spa Bali, it’s all about the show, and the show is in full swing every Sunday at Starfish Bloo. A-list sunglasses, string bikinis wrapped in silk sarongs and the latest looks from Bali’s glamorous international fashion designers go hand-in-hand with the edgy, soul soothing sounds of the live DJ and mesmerising ocean views.
